October Don't Fail Me

The best month EVER is here. I love October. I love fall. I LOVE, LOVE, HALLOWEEN. This is the month of scary movies, our wedding anniversary, of Halloween. Did I mention Halloween?

I expected it to come in so perfectly, but of course that was not the case. Almost immediately I fell prey to the cold/flu thing that has been traveling around both my personal and professional lives. Noooo! I need/want/deserve this to be a good month.

To give October some credit, several great things have already set their wheels in motion. I love to have things to look forward to, and my calendar is being asked to reserve dates.

For one, it appears that the lease swap vehicle I really wanted out of Ohio will come through. I still don't understand why it takes weeks to assume equity liability for someone's lease when it takes sheer hours to lease through a dealership...all through the same financing company. Whatever I guess. I just want the car. I also hear that road-tripping to Ohio in the fall is delightful. Now which weekend would be best? I better wait until the paperwork arrives on this one...

ELIZABETH IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is no way I can scream that loud enough. Granted, she won't be here until next month, but I think I can last that long. Let the revelry planning begin.

Speaking of Elizabeth, she and Jason have set a wedding date and it is in Jamaica. Glorious! Plans for Spring travel can commence.

And finally, my friends are asking for visitation rights. I hadn't felt up to it before, but I do now. Here, there, and everywhere. Welcome October. Don't fail me.

She's Bendy

My Monday night routine now includes the requisite visit to the Y, but with a little twist. I am taking a yoga class. I initially started doing this because I thought the stretching component would be a good balance for all the cardio I am beating my body with. While this still remains true, I am also getting an alternative benefit. It relaxes me. It helps push that giant elephant named Bernie off my chest and onto the floor for a bit each week. And that can only be a good thing.

This past Monday was the best class yet. There were only about eight of us that ventured out on that stormy night, so we were able to move through the sequences at a faster pace. I am noticing that my balance is getting better and the flexibility in my hips in particular is increasing. And so that led me to believe that I could easily do a full back bend. Now, I used to do these in high school, and probably still in college. But recently I have had no reason to attempt one. I must admit that at the moment it felt GLORIOUS. I only slightly regretted it the next afternoon, and then really realized the pain in my core the days following. That though, will not stop me from doing another. Bernie doesn't seem to balance well when I am bent upside down.

As I was in this most unnatural of positions, I couldn't help but recall a story about two of my expat friends in the Philippines. The three of us stood out over there for very specific and similar reasons. We were white. We were blond. We were tall. And we were not small. These two delightful people took a weekend and went to a health spa a couple hours outside of Manila. While there, they engaged in a yoga class. As they were contorted into strange positions, the instructor looked at my friend and said, "You are bendy for a big girl!". I can only imagine how hard they laughed at that moment. That remains one of my favorite travel tales of theirs.

My instructor on Mondays ends every session with a little passage or scripture, and I especially liked this one. I decided that I too can be bendy. And in this case, bendy means changing course and going forward.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

No Toyota Love

I hate my rental car. Yes, it is getting me from point A to B. Yes, it is inexpensive. Yes, it is a car in the very basic terms. But ahhhhh.....

I am still debating on how to best handle my longer-term car situation. There is the possibility of taking over someone else's lease, or I could seriously look at/test drive some other models. I am pretty lazy when it comes to cars though. I have had a Volkswagen since 1999. Four VWs in ten years. I know how they drive, I know what to expect. This time I was fairly certain I was getting a Tiguan, which is the smaller version of my prior SUV. Except that I suddenly had a realization that I didn't want to put any cash out, nor did I want much of a monthly payment. This came to me the week before my Touareg lease expired. Huh. Who is being all fiscally responsible? Strange days.

And that is how I came to drive a piece of basic trash Toyota Corolla rental car.

I have been trying to make it mine, but I am still not feeling the love.

1. My GPS slides off the dash every time I brake or turn too hard.
2. EVERYTHING but the transmission is manual. Even the door locks. Seriously, they still make cars without key-less door entry? WTF?
3. I acknowledge that I am tall, but I am no giantess. Yet my knees rest immediately under the steering wheel. Look ma, no hands!
4. It is small, small, small. My bike does not fit in it, which makes me crazy. I was so used to driving around with my bike in the back of the Touareg. Now no impromptu rides for me.
5. I have to stomp on the gas in order for it to gain any momentum. Until it gets warmed up I actually have concern about merging from entrance ramps.
6. I was obliviously happy with my Touareg's creature comforts. I mean, how was I to know I would miss a rear windshield wiper? Or heated seats? Or a remote for the doors?
   
7. It smells like Resolve. Now, for most people this would not be an issue. For me...it is of grave concern. I won't get into details, but it involves a rowdy night of martini drinking at the Bond-themed MGM holiday party, and Michael's inability to roll down my window fast enough. Parking lot, next morning, hung over, fabric upholstery, lots of Resolve, enough said.
8. There is no good place for the Iona plate.
   

I better learn to love/tolerate the Toyota, as she may be mine for a couple more weeks. Perhaps a name would endear me. A good name? A bad name? I certainly have more options than the Toyota itself has.